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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. march — music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — for money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — crushed
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ground — a position
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — to wash
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com